Women With Penises...And The Lesbians Who Love Them

                Riley J. Dennis, who was born Justin Dennis, is a self-described “queer, trans, non-binary lesbian” who also identifies as a feminist. (How can one be a self-proclaimed lesbian and non-binary? One would then have to be either just a part-time lesbian or part-time non-binary, would one not?) Recently, via a six minute you-tube video, she posed that age-old question, “Are genital preferences trans-phobic?”

                Riley begins: “Some people are making the argument that it’s not cissexist at all to only be attracted to people with one kind of genitals. For example, these people might argue that being attracted to only women with vaginas in no way negatively affects trans people. On the other hand, I would argue that it’s more complicated than that. We all have our implicit biases built into our preferences, and gender isn’t as simple as just the genitals you have.”

                I have a question for you, Ms. Dennis: How can our biases possibly be “implicit” and “built in,” but not our sex? And, “…as simple as the genitals you have,” makes it sound as if we could just pick up whatever ones we want at Costco. “Sorry, Barb, I don’t have a penis right now, but let me run to the store, I think they’re running a BOGO on genitals this week.”

                Riley rambles on: “If you’re a woman who only likes women, go ahead, identify as a lesbian, but some women have penises. And if the fact that some lesbians might be attracted to those women offends you, it’s because you don’t think trans women are real women.”

                No shit, Sherlock. Thanks for clearing that one up for me. And, by-the-way, no woman has a penis. And, any woman attracted to those folks sporting a real, live penis is not a lesbian, just as those who have a penis aren’t women. By definition. We have definitions so that it is possible to  communicate concepts and ideas, distinguishing us, penis or vagina owners, from rocks, plants or amoebas.

                “She” then states: “I’m trying to show that preferences for women with vaginas over women with penises might be partially informed by the influence of a cissexist society.”

                No, it’s probably the same reason gay men have a preference for partners with penises rather than vaginas. Or maybe that’s why we call them gay. It’s so hard to tell anymore in this cissexist society!